A Decent Man Died Yesterday. A Horrible Man Will Become President in a Few Weeks

Dec 30, 2024 | Jimmy Carter passed away yesterday. And EVERY American, no matter their politics, will say Carter was a man of decency. Donald Trump will be sworn in as President in a few weeks. And EVERY American, no matter their politics, will say that Trump is a horrible human being. What does this tell us? It tells us that because our politics is broken, Americans feel unheard. And because they feel unheard, they'll knowingly vote for a horrible person who they think heard them. And sadly, decency no longer matters.

Hear! Hear! As far as I am concerned, America has lost its right to be the leader of the free world. I will NEVER be able to respect the choice of Americans in politics again. EVER! The West needs a new hegemon. Badly! – © Mark Alexander

Jimmy Carter, Peacemaking President Amid Crises, Is Dead at 100

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Rising from Georgia farmland to the White House, he oversaw the historic Camp David peace accords, but his one-term presidency was waylaid by troubles at home and abroad.

Jimmy Carter, who rose from Georgia farmland to become the 39th president of the United States on a promise of national healing after the wounds of Watergate and Vietnam, then lost the White House in a cauldron of economic turmoil at home and crisis in Iran, died on Sunday at his home in Plains, Ga. He was 100.

The Carter Center in Atlanta announced his death, which came nearly three months after Mr. Carter, already the longest-living president in American history, became the first former commander in chief to reach the century mark. Mr. Carter went into hospice care 22 months ago, but endured longer than even his family expected.

Tributes poured in from presidents, world leaders and many everyday people from around the world who admired not only Mr. Carter’s service during four years in the White House but his four decades of efforts since leaving office to fight disease, broker peace and provide for the poor. President Biden ordered a state funeral to be held and was expected to deliver a eulogy.

“To all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning — the good life — study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith and humility,” Mr. Biden, the first Democratic senator to endorse Mr. Carter’s long-shot 1976 bid for the presidency, said in a statement. “He showed that we are great nation because we are a good people.” » | Peter Baker and Roy Reed | Peter Baker is the chief White House correspondent for The Times; Roy Reed, who died in 2017, was a Times national correspondent who for many years covered the South. | Pub: Sunday, Dece,ber 29, 2024; updated: Monday, December 30, 2024

Leer en español.

阅读简体中文版.

閱讀繁體中文版.
Watch the video here.

Why We Wouldn't See a President Like Jimmy Carter Today | DW News

Dec 30, 2024 | During his term in office, Carter brokered a peace deal between Israel and Egypt known as the Camp David Accords, and presided over the Iran hostage crisis. He was the first US president to live to be a 100 years old.

Jimmy Carter, Former US President, Dies Aged 100 | BBC News

Dec 29, 2024 | Former US President Jimmy Carter has died aged 100, the centre he founded has confirmed.

The former peanut farmer lived longer than any president in history and celebrated his 100th birthday in October.

The Carter Center, which advocates for democracy and human rights around the world, said he died on Sunday afternoon at his home in Plains, Georgia.


R.I.P.

Jimmy Carter: Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski Was One Of The Best I've Ever Known | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Former President Jimmy Carter discusses his national security advisor, Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, and why he says no one in government was more loyal to him than Dr. Brzezinski.

Former President Jimmy Carter to Be Treated for Brain Cancer

REUTERS.COM: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said on Thursday that he will start radiation treatment for cancer on his brain later in the day, adding that his fate was "in the hands of God" barely a week after announcing he had undergone surgery for liver cancer.

Appearing calm and lucid, Carter, 90, told a news conference that he will cut back dramatically on his schedule to receive treatment every three weeks after doctors detected four "very small spots" of melanoma on his brain. » | David Beasley | Atlanta | Thursday, August 20, 2015

Carter: Middle Class Today Resembles Past's Poor

Former President Jimmy Carter says the income gap in the United States has increased to the point where members of the middle class resemble the Americans who lived in poverty when he occupied the White House. (Oct. 7)

Barack Obama Is Facing His Jimmy Carter Moment
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: As Mitt Romney closes the gap, it is 1980 all over again for the man in the Oval Office.

Until recently, Barack Obama’s re-election was regarded as inevitable – in the same way that summer follows spring, or a monsoon follows a hosepipe ban. The president’s poll lead over Mitt Romney was strong, while the Republican’s character was assassinated by a primary fight that permanently spoiled the reputation of his party. To court the GOP’s conservative base, Romney was forced to adopt positions on abortion, contraception, health care and welfare that are thought to be unpopular among moderate swing voters. Obama, by contrast, is the man who killed bin Laden and toppled Gaddafi. A choice between Obama the moderate statesman and Romney the craven conservative is surely no contest at all.

But in the last two weeks, things have changed. Obama’s re-election is no longer guaranteed; some pollsters think it is unlikely. Day by day, the odds are improving that Mitt Romney will be the next President of the United States.

What changed? For a start, voters are getting gloomier about the economy. Joblessness remains high and debt is out of control. According to one poll released this week, only 33 per cent of Americans expect the economy to improve in the coming months and only 43 per cent approve of the way that the president has handled it. Voters think Obama has made the debt situation and health care worse. The man who conducted the poll – Democrat Peter Hart – concluded that “Obama’s chances for re-election… are no better than 50-50.” » | Tim Stanley | Friday, May 25, 2012

Egypt's Islamists: Threat or Opportunity?
As Islamists emerge from elections as the country's leading political force, we ask if Egyptians should be concerned.

Jimmy Carter Secures Release of US Hiker Aijalon Gomes from North Korea
THE TELEGRAPH: Former US president Jimmy Carter has secured the release of an American held in North Korea for nearly seven months after crossing the border from China on foot.



Aijalon Gomes, 31, left Pyongyang on a plane accompanied by Mr Carter, who had flown to the North Korean capital three days earlier on a private visit to negotiate the release.

The former president "courteously requested" a special pardon for Mr Gomes, which leader Kim Jong-il granted, North Korean state media said. Mr Gomes had been sentenced in April to eight years of hard labour and a hefty fine for trespassing and committing a "hostile act."

A committed Christian, Mr Gomes is thought to have travelled to the country on a one-man peace mission.

The[y] pair are due to arrive in Boston today to be reunited with Mr Gomes' mother and other family members.

In Washington, the State Department welcomed the news.

We "are relieved that he will soon be safely reunited with his family," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said. "We appreciate former President Carter's humanitarian effort and welcome North Korea's decision to grant Mr. Gomes special amnesty and allow him to return to the United States."

North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency said Carter's visit included cordial talks with Kim Yong Nam, North Korea's number two official, [sic]

Mr Kim relayed Pyongyang's interest in resuming the six-nation disarmament talks and reiterated the regime's commitment to denuclearisation, KCNA said.

However, Mr Carter does not appear to have met Kim Jong Il, who was making a surprise trip to China. A year ago, Kim sat down for talks and a photo with former US president Bill Clinton when he went to Pyongyang on a similar journey to negotiate the release of two American journalists. >>> | Friday, August 27, 2010

THE BOSTON GLOBE: Boston man set free in N. Korea: Carter intervenes to secure his release; former prisoner to return home today >>> Travis Andersen and Farah Stockman, Globe Staff | Friday, August 27, 2010

Verbunden >>>

Jimmy Carter reist nach Nordkorea: Einsatz zur Freilassung eines inhaftierten Amerikaners
NZZ ONLINE: Um sich für die Freilassung eines inhaftierten Amerikaners einzusetzen, wird der ehemalige amerikanische Präsident Jimmy Carter nach Nordkorea reisen. Pjongjang wünscht offenbar zu politischen Zwecken einen angesehenen Politiker zu Besuch.

Der frühere amerikanische Präsident Carter wird in den nächsten Tagen nach Nordkorea reisen. Er will sich um die Freilassung eines dort inhaftierten amerikanischen Staatsbürgers bemühen. Carters Reise sei nicht offiziell, berichtete die Webseite der Zeitschrift «Foreign Affairs» am Dienstag. Er werde auch nicht von amerikanischen Regierungsbeamten begleitet.

Carters private Reise erfolgt zu einem Zeitpunkt, da die Beziehungen zwischen Nordkorea und Amerika gespannt sind. Carter, der sich in Nordkorea grossen Ansehens erfreut, könnte bei seiner humanitären Mission auch als Vermittler wirken. >>> Petra Kolonko, Tokio | Mittwoch, 25. August 2010

NZZ ONLINE: Jimmy Carter in Nordkorea eingetroffen: Bemühungen um Freilassung eines Amerikaners >>> ddp | Mittwoch, 25. August 2010

Carter Wants Obama to Remove Hamas from Terror List
ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS (ARUTZ SHEVA): The Obama Administration should remove Hamas from the terrorist list, former President Jimmy Carter told media following his visit to Gaza today. He said he plans on pushing for the change when he meets with U.S. officials on Thursday to discuss his latest trip to the Middle East.

Carter’s comments came during a joint press conference with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh following their meeting today in Gaza. The former president said he tried to convince Hamas leaders to denounce violence, accept the existing interim agreements and recognize the right of the Jewish state to exist.

"Hamas leaders want peace and they want to have reconciliation not only with their Fatah brothers but also eventually with Israelis to live side by side, with two nations, both sovereign nations recognized by each other and living in peace," Carter said.

Haniyeh told Carter that he supported any plan that aims at preserving Arab rights and leads to the establishment of a sovereign Arab state on all the territories that were occupied by Israel in 1967 "with Jerusalem as its capital." He urged Carter to pressure Israel to lift the security blockade which was imposed on Gaza’s border crossings to prevent weapons smuggling. >>> Zalman Nelson | Friday, March 26, 2010

HT: IBA

Obama Effigy Spotted in Jimmy Carter's Hometown

Jimmy Carter Says Joe Wilson's Attack on Barack Obama Was 'Based on Racism'
THE TELEGRAPH: Former President Jimmy Carter has said that Joe Wilson's outburst during President Barack Obama's speech to Congress last week was an act "based on racism" and rooted in fears of a black president.

"I think it's based on racism," Mr Carter said at a town hall held at his presidential centre in Atlanta. "There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president."

The Georgia Democrat said the outburst was a part of a disturbing trend directed at the president that has included demonstrators equating Mr Obama to Nazi leaders.

"Those kind of things are not just casual outcomes of a sincere debate on whether we should have a national program on health care," he said.

"It's deeper than that." >>> | Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Carter Says Palestinians Are Treated 'Like Animals'
MEHR NEWS: Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter said on Tuesday that Palestinians are being treated “like animals.”

“Tragically, the international community too often ignores the cries for help and the citizens of Palestine are treated more like animals than like human beings,” Carter said at a joint news conference with Hamas leader Ismail Haniya.

The former president called for a lifting of Israel''s merciless blockade of the Gaza Strip and ending “all violence” against the Palestinians.

“The starving of 1.5 million human beings of the necessities of life -- never before in history has a large community like this been savaged by bombs and missiles and then denied the means to repair itself,” Carter said at a UN school graduation ceremony in Gaza City.

The United States and Europe “must try to do all that is necessary to convince Israel and Egypt to allow basic goods into Gaza,” AFP quoted Carter as saying. >>> | Wednesday, June 17, 2009

‘Jimmy Carter’ Tag Has Obama Wincing
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Republicans are fighting back by branding the president as naive abroad and wasteful at home, like one of his party’s predecessors

LESS than two weeks into his administration, President Barack Obama is being portrayed by opponents as a new Jimmy Carter - weak at home and naive abroad - in an attempt to dim his post-election glow and ensure that he serves only one term.

The charge has stung because it was made privately by Hillary Clinton supporters during a hard-fought primary campaign and plays to fears about Obama’s inexperience.

He is engaged in early trials of strength with Republicans in Washington and critics of the United States around the world – not least Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president. Obama faces battles to talk Wall Street into giving up its addiction to large bonuses and US banks to start lending again.

“Barack Obama thinks he can charm his adversaries into changing their ways but his personality can’t change the dynamics,” said Tom Edmonds, a Republican consultant. >>> Sarah Baxter, Washington | Sunday, February 1, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback (US) Barnes & Noble >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Hardcover (US) Barnes & Noble >>>

Israel Snubs Carter and Declines Security Help
REUTERS: JERUSALEM - Israel's secret service declined to assist U.S. agents guarding former U.S. President Jimmy Carter during a visit in which Israeli leaders shunned him over his plans to meet Hamas, U.S. sources said on Monday.

"They're not getting support from local security," one of the sources said, on condition of anonymity. Israel Snubs Carter and Declines Security Help >>> | April 14, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Carter “increasingly irrelevant”, says White House

Photo of Jimmy Carter courtesy of Google Images

BBC: The White House has dismissed former US President Jimmy Carter as "increasingly irrelevant", following his sharp criticism of President George W Bush.

Mr Carter on Saturday said the administration's impact on the world had made it "the worst in history".

A White House spokesman responded by saying that Mr Carter had engaged in "reckless personal criticism". White House hits back at Carter (more)

Mark Alexander